Aurora!

One of the main reasons for going to Alaska in March, besides seeing Betsy, was to see the aurora borealis. We had been watching the aurora forecast, and the solar storms were extraordinary right before we left. So we knew we had a good chance of seeing them.

The day we left, the forecast for the aurora was high. When we were flying from Seattle, the pilot told us they were beginning to pop up in front of the plane. Unfortunately, just as Don and I were getting a chance to see them, the plane started its descent into CLOUDY Fairbanks. Susan and John, who were in Anchorage, were able to see the spectacular show, but we didn't.

On Saturday again the forecast was pretty good. We were in Chena Hot Springs by then and we signed up to take a snow cat to the top of a hill to see the aurora. The tour began at 9:30 and we were going to come home at 2:00 a.m. Long night. We arrived at the top of the hill - where it was completely dark - to see a green glow over the top of the hill. It looked like the glow of a city beyond the horizon.

The resort had a yurt at the top of the hill that was equipped with three propane heaters and some snacks. Unfortunately, not long after we arrived, the biggest propane heater went out. It had run out of propane . . . and at -20 degrees, that was not a good thing.

We went in and out, watching for the aurora. The other 20 or so people with us were Japanese and did not speak much English. Suddenly one of the Japanese men came into the yurt, said something urgently, and the entire group hustled outside. That was our cue . . . we scrambled outside also and were privy to a green and white cloud moving about in the sky. Within a few minutes it quit and went back to being rather boring.

About an hour later, I went outside to watch . . . and it was my turn to go in the yurt and send the "Hurry outside" alarm. Everyone scrambled out again to see more dancing in the sky.

Not long after it finished, we came down the hill, and by 3 a.m. we were in bed. We got to see the aurora one more time, but it wasn't as spectacular as the time in Chena Hot Springs. For those of us who live in areas where the aurora doesn't appear, it was a magnificent sight . . . and a very special evening, shared with friends.

What a Difference a Year Makes!

Last year, on April 7, I took a picture of the trees in the front of our house.

On March 26, I took a similar picture.

What a difference a year makes! The redbud is going to have to be cut down because it is half dead . . . very sad! We are going to miss the pink flowers on the left side of the driveway. I have a picture of Sepia and Babs in the white petals on the driveway last year. This year, I only have Babs to take out into the "snow."

The tulips are already up and blooming, the magnolia tree is out . . . last year it hadn't started by this time, and two years ago, it was the end of April before the Magnolia bloomed.

We have to take each year as it comes, allergies, pests, heat, cold, and wind. Hoping this warm spring is not a harbinger of the summer ahead.

The Guys

For the trip to Alaska, the girls decided to bring "the guys" along. I think Don is the only one who knew all of the other men, so they had to get to know each other. It didn't take long for them to bond, and soon they acted like they had known each other forever.

Several times we sent the guys out to do "guy stuff" while we went shopping, and one time, they stopped at Bar 1, which is the bar that we see every time we check the Fairbanks webcam. Here from left: John Nuttall, Tom O'Hanlon, Walt Davis.

We took this picture of the girls and the guys while at the ice carving festival. I love these two pictures . . . we just need Anne here to finish out the girls picture!

More Ice Sculptures

This gorgeous sculpture was of a mythical woman; unfortunately, sometime during the festival, her head fell off.

This is the bar where a person can drink an appletini, served in a frozen ice martini glass. The seats are covered by caribou skin, to keep a person's bottom from freezing while drinking!

Ice Carvings

We went to two different ice carving venues - the National Ice Carving Championships (or maybe they were the World Championships) and the Ice Castle at Chena Hot Springs.

The Chena Hot Springs carvings were inside, the Ice Castle being cooled by, as Don explained, "an absorption cooler powered geothermically." One year, the owner of Chena Hot Springs experimented with how to most successfully accomplish it, and by the next year, he and his engineers were able to keep the ice from melting. They then added lighting, and some very interesting carvings came to life.

In contrast, we saw the images at the championships outside during the day. They are lighted at night, but we were not able to go back to see them. They were gorgeous during the day, however, and they gave us a very different look. Over the next few days, I will show you a few more images from both places.

This is a wolf creeping up on a herd of musk ox. Hard to tell from this angle, but it was a very intricate sculpture.

Girlfriends

When we were in Alaska, I received a reminder of how much I appreciate my girlfriends.

Kathy and I were friends through elementary school, especially when we were in the same class together. Betsy and I were the same, though we weren't in the same class very often. In junior high, Betsy and I walked together to Jefferson Junior High nearly every day; in high school we carpooled with Cori Simms and Sally Bone.

In tenth grade, I found out Anne Turbett was in a biology class at the same time I was. She lived across the street from my cousin, and in my mind, she was a legend. I was so happy to meet her because we had my cousins in common. Somehow, over the next few months, we began to hang out together. Anne introduced me to Susan Howard (we played volleyball together), Kathleen Rogers joined in, and somehow the six of us formed a strong bond.

After graduation, due mostly, I think, to Kathy's and Anne's efforts and a chain letter that sometimes took a year to go around, we stayed in touch - through marriages, children, moves, school, and busy lives.

Through it all, we were there to support each other in many ways. We had each had our share of bad times, but when Betsy was found to have breast cancer, the meaning of girlfriends took on a different dimension. And that is what made me get teary-eyed in Alaska.

Hanging in Betsy's bedroom was the quilt that Kathy spearheaded us to make for Betsy. We each made a square with our hand print and a heart. Kathy quilted it and sent it to Betsy so that she could have her friends' hands and hearts wrapped around her while she healed. It is a beautiful quilt. It is an exquisite reminder of our friendship.

These ladies mean so much to me . . . and to each other. We have been there through thick and thin, and we always will be there for each other. Thanks, ladies, for enriching my life. It's been fun.

Snow

Did you know that there are many different kinds of snow with many different names? I didn't, but I do now, thanks to Matthew Sturm. Matthew is married to my friend, Betsy, who lives in Fairbanks and is one of my high school friends. Matthew is a glaciologist whose expertise is ancient snow.

Matthew has written a children's book called Apun, the Arctic Snow. He details the many kinds of snow, providing the Inupiaq names along the way, and he explains why Apun is so important not only to the Arctic people but to the world in general. It is a fascinating look at a world many of us take for granted.

We were taken for a tour into the permafrost cave in Fairbanks, where Matthew explained more to us about snow and permafrost. At the entrance to the cave, we were introduced to snow crystals that had grown beyond the size of most. It was easy to see them, and then when reading the book, it made a lot of sense.

Matthew has included a teaching guide with his book. Youngsters will get a kick out of studying snow, and who knows? Maybe they, too, would become glaciologists like Matthew did.